Rabbit is too busy to play the Easter Bunny this year, so the Pooh friends each try on his Easter Bunny costume to disastrous but amusing results. Finally, Pooh stumbles upon the best and friendliest solution and saves the Easter party.

This is another example of Disney recycling. I noticed a statement in the indicia: "Originally published in slightly different form as The Very Best Easter Bunny by Golden Books Publishing Company, Inc., in 1997." I don't own that version, but I was able to find it on the Internet Archive and do a page-by-page comparison. For the 2003 The Easter Bear? sentences have been added, expanded, or reordered throughout by the original author or some uncredited editor, and there are some word choice changes. The pictures are the same in both versions though. I suppose there is a case for combining the two books as different editions of the same work, but I prefer them separate.

First sentences of The Very Best Easter Bunny:
Early one Easter, as Pooh and his friends were decorating eggs, Rabbit hurried over.
"Sorry, but I can't play the Easter Bunny this year," he announced. "I have to plant my garden. Here, Pooh. You do it."

First sentences of The Easter Bear?:
Early one Easter, as Pooh and his friends were decorating eggs, Rabbit hurried over.
"Sorry, but I can't play the Easter Bunny this year. I have to plant my garden," he said, holding a bunny costume. "Here, Pooh. You do it."

(My Pooh Project: I love Winnie the Pooh, and so does my wife. Having a daughter gave us a chance to indoctrinate her into the cult by buying and reading her every Pooh book we came across. How many is that? I’m going to count them this year by reading and reviewing one every day and seeing which month I finally run out. Track my progress here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/23954351-rod-brown?ref=nav_mybooks&she... ) ( )